Family Heirloom, Should I keep it as a display or restore to use.

[Semper Fi]

I posted this rifle the other day to try to find out a little more about it and keep wondering if there is any hope to get it back into shooting condition. The lock works well and other than the recessed wood around it being worn Its still functional. At least to my opinion as far as looks go. I have yet to take a scope down the barrel to see how bad the rifling looks and before doing so want to ask the opinions of those far more knowledgeable on restorations than I.
In your opinions with that much recession and such around the lock plate and with everything else taken into account would it be possible to bring this rifle back?

[Daniel Coats]

Always a personal choice but it does no harm to leave it alone especially since it's a family heirloom. There's a bazillion shooters out there.

[Marcruger]

My suggestion would be this:   If you love the design and history, and want to shoot it, have someone make you a copy.  Shoot it to your heart's content. 

That original gun is only original once.  If you modify it to shoot, then you are compromising the story it tells for the future.  Just my viewpoint.   

God Bless,   Marc

[oldtravler61]

  If it was mine. I would leave it as is. What I can tell by the pictures. You have a lot of corrosion in the breech area.
 None the less it is your gun.
So it falls on you. With the final decision.

[Karl Kunkel]

I agree.  If it's a family heirloom, leave it be for future generations.

[John Shaw]

I have a family heirloom that went from Missouri to Oregon in 1845 as part of the Meek cutoff saga. It's what got me started in muzzleloading when I decided to build a copy of it back in the 70's rather than restore it. It's one of the few wise decisions I made during those days. It might be something you could try.

JS

[Ky-Flinter]

Wise advice above.  You don't want to be remembered as the guy that wrecked GGGG-Granddad's rifle.

-Ron

[Dave Patterson]

As Marcruger said, it's only original once.  Any repairs or freshening only destroys that "original" state.

Three of the four main branches of my family have been on this continent for several hundred years; most of them sought out and moved along with either the edges of the "frontier" country, or well out into it, for most of that time, and most of those generations.  Obviously, just the fact that I'm here to tell that story indicates there have been a lot of long guns owned and used by those ancestors of mine.

Not a one survives:  not one single family heirloom muzzleloader. 

Treasure it for what it is.

[Semper Fi]

You gentleman are 100% correct. I am going to leave it in its original state. I had hoped to not do anything other than slightly reinforce the lock plate and pretty much be done with it but its going to take substantially more than that to get it working. Its going on the wall to be admired and talked about hopefully for a few more generations. It was a great notion to think about hunting with a rifle so many of my family members have used in the past.

[JTR]

Good idea to leave it as is!
A couple little things you could look after; If it has any active cracks in the wood, I'd certainly glue them to keep them from expanding. If any screws are loose or stripped out, take them out, wrap a bit of thread around the threads then screw them back in, to keep them from falling out and getting lost.
If the lock is going to fall out, do something to keep it in place.

One really important thing to remember when saving something for future generations, is that the thing/gun/whatever has to be in nice enough condition to have someone really want to keep it!

[galudwig]

Looks as if being the caretaker of the family heirloom rests squarely on your shoulders now. Don't let the rifle and it's significance to your family end with you. Find out as much as you can about the rifle and how it relates to your family, then, write it down! Make sure the story of the rifle, your family, and the rifle stay together. Share the info with anyone in the family who will listen, especially if you have any young ones about. Just remember how that rile fascinated you as a kid. The goal should be to spark that same fascination to another kid.

Way too many family heirlooms end up in pawn shops or worse...